Improvement in breast-pumps



UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOHN H. BEADLE, Or New YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREAST-PUMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,3 119, dated October 20, 1863.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. BEADLE, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breast-Pumps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure llrepresents a veltical central sect'on of my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar section of a modication of the s imc. Fig. 3 is a detached plan or top view of the iianged disk which sustains the elastic hemisphere. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the several views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of breast-pumps in which the rarefaction of the air is effected by the action of a fiexible elastic globe or diaphragm.

The invention consists in the employment or use of an elastic hemisphere placed on a flanged disk, which is provided with a valve and secured to' the top of the breast-cup in such a manner that said hemisphere can be readily placed on the flanged disk without requiring any fastening, and the air in the cup can be rareed by repeated action of the thumb or one of the fingers on the hemispherical diaphragm.

The invention consists, also, in the application of a small strip of oil-silk or other suitable flexible material tied across the aperture leading to the interior of the cup in such a manner that on depressing the hemisphere said strip is pressed down upon the aperture and caused to close the same, and on releasing the hemisphere the strip is drawn off from the aperture and the air in the cup is rareiied.

It consists, iinally, in the arrangement of a recess in the middle of the flanged disk which supports the hemisphere to receive the valve and a small quantity of loose cotton or other suitable material saturated with oil, in such a manner that the valve is protected against injury whenever the hemisphere is removed, and that by the action of the grease the valve is prevented from sticking.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a c up, made of glass or other suitable material,and provided with a mouthpiece, B, on one side, near to its top, formed in such a manner that the same can be readily applied to the breast of a woman, or to any other part of the body on which it is desired to act with the pump. The neck of the cup A is mounted with a metal cap, C, which is perforated with a central passage, a, and provided with a screw-thread, b, to lit into a correspondiugly-threaded socket in the center of a disk, l). This disk is made of tin or other suitable material, and it is provided with a vertically-projecting flange, c, intended tO retain the hemispherical diaphragm E. The flange c is turned under, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, so that it will retain the diaphragm without requiring any fastening. If `desired, however, the hemisphere may be secured by tying it with a cord or wire, as shown in Fig. 2. I use a hemispherical diaphragm in preference to a globe of india-rubber, because the hemisphere can be made without a seam, and consequently it is less liable to split open than the ordinary globe. The disk D is provided with a central recess, d, which forms a chamber to protect the valve e, which covers the mouth of the passage a. This valve is made of a simple strip of oil-silk or other suitable material, which is stretched across the mouth of said passage and tied to the top ,end of the cap C by means of a cord or wire. The space above the valve in the chamber d is fitted with loose cotton or other suitable material saturated with oil to prevent the valve from sticking, and an aperture, f, in the top of the chamber forms the communication between the interior of the hemisphere and the cup. If the hemispherical diaphragm is placed loosely on the iianged disk, no further valve is required, and the pump is ready for operation. By depressing the hemisphere the valve c is forced down upon the mouth of the passage a, and the air contained in the hemisphere is forced out at its edge. On releasing the pressure the edge of the h emisphere closes up tight, and the valve e opens to admit some of the air from the cup A into the space under the hemisphere. If the mouth-piece B is closed, therefore, the air in the cup will be rareied, and by a repeated action of the hemisphere the rarefaction of the air can be carried on to any'desired extent.

In some cases it may be desirable to secure the hemspherical diaphragm to the anged disk by means of a cord or wire, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In this case a valve, g, is required to let out the air from the interior of the hemisphere. This valve consists of a lat disk of oil-silk or other suitable material placed between the bottom oi' the disk D and a plate, h, placed on the top ot' the cap G. The space between the disk D and plate h is suficiently large to admit a thin washer of cardboard or other porous material and to allow ot' sufcient play for the Valve g to open and close the hole i in the bottom of the disk D, as the hemisphere is depressed or left to expand. In depressing the hemisphere, the air contained under it escapes through the holet' and aperturesj, and on releasing the hemisphere the valve g closes and the valve e opens, and the air in the cup is raretled.

It will be noticed that my pump combines several advantages over a breast pump of the ordinary construction.v The hemisphere requires only a small quantity ot' india-rubber as compared with the Ordinary globe. The rarefaction ofthe air can be continued to any desired extent and with small motions of the finger, requiring but little power, whereas with an ordinary globe it requires considerable power to compress the same, and then the air is rareiied just so much, giving no chance of an increase.

My pump can be easily worked by a weak person, and all its parts are so constructed that the same are not liable to get out of order.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

3. The chamber d in the disk D, arranged.

to contain some oiled cotton and to protect the valve c, substantially in the manner speci fled; v

JOHN H. BEADLE.

W'itnesses Trios. L. J. DoUGLAs, WM. REETH. 

